It Wasn't Fair
by SiuanSedai
Summary: Albus returns home after his first term at Hogwarts and shows off. Aberforth is jealous of the attention he receives. 100quills prompt 4 Colourful and prompt 37 Alone
1. Chapter 1

**Written for 100quills prompt #4 Colourful**

Aberforth looked around Ariana's bedroom angrily. Yesterday the wallpaper had been pale blue and the carpet had been a deep shade of indigo. Then Albus had arrived home proudly from Hogwarts, shining with the glory he was already becoming accustomed to after only one term of excelling at Hogwarts.

Both Albus and Aberforth knew that no one was allowed to perform magic out of Hogwarts. Once you had your wand and were officially a student of whichever wizarding school your parents decided to send you to – almost always Hogwarts, but a couple of the richest families sent their children to Beauxbatons just to flaunt the fact that their children had had the very best tutors to teach them fluent French – the Trace was put on you so that the Ministry could detect magic being done around you.

It was an unfair, biased rule that Aberforth, at the grand old age of eight, had already discovered a way to get around for when he was older. As long as both your parents weren't known to be out of the house, the Ministry wouldn't be able to tell that you were performing underage magic, because they couldn't distinguish whether the magic was done by you or your parents. It didn't hurt either that the Ministry really didn't care and had only created the law to make sure that muggleborns weren't endangering magical society. None of the pureblood families minded that their children had an unfair advantage, including the Dumbledores, and so Albus had demonstrated every spell he'd learnt that term to an eager audience. The enthusiasm with which they watched and oohed and aahed reminded Aberforth of the time he'd been taken to the circus and the audience had given wild applause to the dancing goat. Aberforth had been too fascinated by the animal's performance to waste concentration on applauding, but his family had laughed and exclaimed and pointed and – in Ariana's case – squealed, just like they did when Albus showed off his new skills. The only difference was Aberforth's disinterest.

Aberforth had been made to sit stiffly on one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs throughout his elder brother's show, earning stern parental glares and a scolding when he slouched and scowled in utter boredom. And it _was_ boring. Having grown up in a purebood wizarding family, the spells weren't anything he hadn't seen before, and Albus had told him in strict confidence before he went off to Hogwarts that he'd already learnt every spell in the first-year Transfiguration textbook, so it wasn't even new watching _Albus_ cast the spells. And, of course, their parents frequently cast much more complicated magic than first-year studies. It _was_ impressive that Albus had learnt so much, but it certainly hadn't come as a surprise to anyone who'd ever met the talented boy. And although Aberforth wouldn't admit it, not even to himself, he was jealous of the attention that Albus and his abilities had always received.

The most sickening part, though, was when Albus whispered something in Ariana's ear – at least, Aberforth thought somewhat smugly, he'd been scolded because everyone knew whispering was rude – and led them all upstairs to Ariana's blue bedroom. Ariana had hated that room all her life, because blue was a boy colour. When the Healer looking after Kendra during her pregnancy had cast the spell to determine the unborn baby's gender, she'd cast it incorrectly and so the south-facing room had been prepared for the arrival of the third Dumbledore son.

Albus had listened to whatever Ariana whispered in his ear – joining her brothers in the ranks of the recently scolded – and nodded. He held out his wand, waved and said an incantation confidently. The carpet turned a dusky rose colour. Albus grinned and basked in the admiring gasps (changing colour was a third-year charm and applying it to large objects wasn't taught until fourth year) before turning his wand on the walls.

The bright yellow walls and apple-green furniture clashed horribly with each other and with the carpet. Ariana loved it though and ran to bounce happily on the bed, dragging Albus up with her. Aberforth scowled as his parents watched Albus and Ariana indulgently for a moment before leaving the room. He hated being the middle child, the one stuck between the wonder boy and the baby girl. It wasn't fair that he always got left out. It wasn't fair that his parents didn't give him as much attention as his siblings. And it wasn't fair, either, that he wasn't special enough to earn more attention.

* * *

I couldn't remember if Ariana was attacked before or after Albus started Hogwarts, but in this fic's timeline it hasn't happened yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**This uses 100quills prompt #37 - Alone**

It was Albus' second night home from school and dinner was to be a memorable occasion. The previous evening had been considered for the celebratory meal, but Percival had decreed that his eldest son would be too tired from the journey home to enjoy himself.

_Yeah right_, Aberforth thought. Albus was the Wonder Boy. Of course he wouldn't suffer from something as common as _tiredness_. And, as usual, Aberforth had predicted his brother's actions right: Albus had strutted into the house and, after receiving the customary smothering hug from Kendra and sticky kiss from Ariana, had proceeded to give a 'spectacular' demonstration of magic that culminated in him redecorating Ariana's bedroom. He'd been at Hogwarts for _one term_. Aberforth couldn't decide which was more nauseating: the fuss being made over Albus' return or his talent.

Kendra Dumbledore bundled her two youngest children into their very best clothes, ignoring their fervent protests. Aberforth was stuffed into a grey suit and tie with the family crest beneath a smart grey linen robe, and Ariana was forced to wear a pale yellow dress and robe and (as it was the only way to make her wear anything on her head) a bright yellow hat with a white flower attached. Then the two children had been given the usual diatribe on table manners, sent to wash their hands and brought downstairs to the dining room.

The only good thing about this stupid dinner was the food, Aberforth thought miserably. He was bored and tired and uncomfortable, but he didn't usually get to eat with the grown-ups like Albus did and if this was how they usually ate Aberforth couldn't wait for his tenth birthday. Usually he and Ariana were taken to the nursery two hours before Ariana's bedtime and given a plain and simple meal consisting of meat and two types of vegetables which both siblings protested about daily. Aberforth's favourite meat was beef, and if he really had to choose a favourite out of the various vegetables then carrots were the most edible followed by peas; Ariana on the other hand jumped for joy every time they were given chicken and, for some reason incomprehensible to Aberforth, adored runner beans. If they'd been good for the whole day and ate all their dinner they were sometimes allowed a huge big serving of pudding each – treacle sponge, lemon cake with cream, or jam sandwiches. But as nice as dinner usually was, it couldn't compare to a proper meal with four courses.

Starter, main course, cheese course and dessert: Aberforth was stuffed fuller than he'd ever been in his life and didn't think he could fit even one more helping of dessert even though treacle sponge with custard was his favourite food in the entire world (a preference shared by all three Dumbledore children).

Although Aberforth had raced through his food and had three helpings of everything (except the blue cheese, which was yucky), Ariana still had her cheese sitting stubbornly in front of her and wasn't allowed even one bite of pudding until she finished it.

"Just eat it, Ari," Aberforth advised.

"But it's yucky!" Ariana protested.

"I know, but if you eat it really quickly with your eyes closed you can't see that it's blue or even taste it that much. That's what I did and it works really well," Aberforth said, proud of his wisdom. Ariana looked at him as if he was the cleverest person in the whole entire world, and Aberforth swelled happily. Ariana carefully placed the cheese on a huge piece of bread, hoping to further dilute the taste (and the bread was delicious anyway). She closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide, and was about to put the bread and cheese in her mouth when it was taken out of her hands.

"Look what _I_ can do, Ari," Albus said proudly and concentrated hard. The spell he spoke turned the blue Stilton into a nice piece of cheddar – Ariana's favourite. As she gobbled it down and demanded a big piece of treacle sponge and lots of custard ("but no lumps!") she refocused her attention on Albus, her saviour from the evil blue cheese.

As Aberforth watched Ariana insist that Albus share her dessert ("you've only had four helpings and you're big so you need lots and lots of pudding to make you even bigger") Aberforth thought that he had never felt quite so alone.

* * *

This was honestly and truly meant to be fluff. I have a plot bunny dancing around in my head and every time I try and let the fluffy little bunny out its evil angsty twin escapes instead. Both these chapters were meant to be the same fluffy bunny and it didn't come out either time... argghhh bashes head on desk


End file.
